Pages

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Pain - Masochism and Tyler Durden

Pain is a funny thing. Most people will spend their entire life trying to avoid and minimize pain and discomfort. It's a spectrum of physical sensation that has a Hell of a bad rap. For most people, voluntary pain is simply a price to paid for something else, a shot or a tattoo or a piercing. People grimace or flinch or cry and then rush to try and find a way to make the pain stop. Bruises and scrapes and scars make people uncomfortable, it makes them want to look away. Every time I get a cut or burn or bruise, there is someone going on "How did that happen?" "Doesn't it hurt??" "Oh my goodness, how awful!".
I am not most people. I like pain on a few different levels, and I appreciate it as being equal to pleasure or anything else I might experience. I also value it as a part of my personal philosophy. because not all pain is the same, and different types of pain are valuable in different ways.
You see, the human body is not made of glass. Small cuts and bruises and scrapes WILL NOT KILL YOU. You might not like it, but this is a valuable thing to know. Your body is an amazing machine, it is capable of amazing strength and able to endure extreme temperatures, to function with little food or water for days on end, to withstand a variety of diseases and traumas. People are stronger then they give themselves credit. Tyler Durden is my hero in part because of his desire to test his own physical limits, and his desire to see others do the same. When you are broken or bleeding or doubled over in pain, you are alive and in the moment in the purest sense of the word.
Pain is also important as a counterpoint to pleasure. For some people pain feels good, for others, it's a nice little jolt to remind of how good the good things feel in contrast to something a little nastier. What may be a horrible feeling for some is enjoyable to others.
The point is, there are a range of physical experiences your body is capable of. Some people enjoy certain sensations more then others, and you should not fear or judge those who choose to do that.